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Magick
Magick is a supernatural force that can alter the fabric of reality at fundamental levels. The ability to use magick is a hereditary trait passed down from a person's ancestors, which allows witches to practice witchcraft. The basic concepts of magick are fairly simple--even a two-year-old witch can do some form of magick--but the inherent power and potential for abuse are great indeed. It is for this reason that young witches are sent to magickal schools to refine their craft and learn the art and responsibility of their power. Magick is unable to be performed by Typicals. This inability is what sets Typicals apart from witches. As a substitute for magick, Typicals use technology. In the same sense, many witches are ignorant of the workings of most Typical devices, including telephones and computers. Both the witch and Typical view their choice of tool as completely logical and ordinary, though each would find the others' tools fascinating or mysterious. In the aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, witches have been mandated by the International Council of Witches to constantly hide their magickal abilities from the Typical world, and thus most Typicals are unaware that magick exists. It is possible that magick, should it be revealed to the Typical world, could be treated as a branch of science. However, as science is the study of the natural and physical world, and magick is a supernatural force, magick is not a science. However, in many ways, magick does follow the Laws of Physics, specifically the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy. Vanishment does not make objects cease to exist, but puts them into a state of non-being. Conjured objects can only exist for a temporary period of time, and objects cannot be enlarged beyond a certain point without becoming unstable and exploding. Dark magick is an evil brand of the power, and is strictly forbidden by all magickal governments across the globe. Overview In humans, the ability to perform magick, or lack thereof, is an inborn attribute. The former is the norm of magickal couples and rare in those of Typicals. The magickal gene is dominant, while the non-magickal gene is recessive. Those unable to do magick who are born to magickal parents are known as Duds; this is when the non-magickal gene resurfaces, causing the offspring to therefore be non-magickal. A witch born to Typical parents are known as Scants or Typical-born. This is when a Typical family is descended from a Dud, and the magickal gene resurfaces seven generations later. Scants are far more common than Duds, which may be a feature of the disparate sizes of the Typical and magickal populations. There are other magickal beings which can perform magick, such as Brownies, Dwarves and Elves. Their brands of magick differ greatly from human magick. History of Magick Early history In ancient times, there were numerous covens around the world, spanning all six inhabited continents. The most well-known witches were found in Europe, though there were great and powerful witches throughout Africa, Asia, and the Americas, as well as the Pacific Islands. The witches' homeland was the island of Avalon in the Mediterranean Sea, hidden from Typicals since the dawn of time. Many portals to the island were built around the world during this time. Witches soon began to classify themselves through their associations with specific covens, due to their magickal interests, friendships and blood relations. Most of the Seven Ancient Covens hailed from Europe. They were the Willowwand, Heartbane, Griffbyrne, Featherwynn, Brighteye, Fonvaughn and Waroth, named for the most prominent families in each coven. However, the covens were not without fighting, and a great divide between Heartbane and the other six covens was noticeable by the late 5th century. In early history, Typicals and witches coexisted, and witches were held in high esteem. The ancient Egyptians took to guarding their tombs with powerful curses, and the Greeks and Romans were also practitioners of magick. However, there were indeed dark witches at this point in time, creating powerful curses intended to kill. After the Battle of Camlann, Typical King Arthur was brought to Avalon to be healed by Morgen le Fay and her eight sisters, who were descendants of the Heartbane family. Though he did succumb to his wounds, he was interred in a great tomb on the island, later to be joined by his wife, Guinevere, who herself was a member of the Griffbyrne family. Typicals had already begun to distrust the witches by the 11th century, and the two cultures began to slowly separate. By the 14th century, Typicals were afraid of magick, considering it to be a product of the devil, and took to prosecuting and executing witches. They were not particularly good at identifying witches, as most people who were executed were not witches at all. Atypical beliefs are believed to have their roots in these events. 17th-19th centuries With the "discovery" of the New World in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, many European witches fled from their countries to join the growing American magickal community. However, in the late 1600s, many witches would return home in the aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials, which would forever mar the history of American witchcraft. Atypical beliefs were at their peak in the aftermath of the disaster. Also in the aftermath of the tragic events, seven witches, each descendants of one of the families for whom the Seven Ancient Covens were named, founded Ipswich Academy of Witchcraft. Subsequently, other magickal schools sprang up throughout the Americas. It was mandated by the International Council of Witches that witches hide their magick from Typicals, and magickal creatures were also strictly controlled across the globe, leading to the extinction of several species. Over the years, magick became the stuff of Typical fairy tales and folklore. Magickal families began to cluster in small villages, sometimes completely hidden from Typicals. Boston, Massachusetts became the main magickal city in America for several centuries. 20th century-present Atypical beliefs were still very present in the 20th and 21st centuries, and these sentiments were manipulated by Lord Azrael as he attempts to take over the American Congress of Witchcraft and Magick, and, to a lesser extent, the International Council. His first attempt in the 1990s was cut short after the murder of Eve Dearborn. Stripping of magick A witch can be stripped of their magickal powers if they are deemed to be a threat. An extremely cruel punishment, it has not been used very frequently in modern times, though it was apparently very common in the 18th century. Category:Biology Category:Magick